Can You Spot the Buzzkill in the SRT Viper GTS-R's Engine Bay?

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Seen here are the mechanical innards of the SRT Viper GTS-R that campaigned at last weekend's Sports Car Showcase in Long Beach, California, as part of the IMSA Tudor SportsCar Championship.

Any proper gearhead can appreciate the high-end hardware on display in this million dollar plus race machine: the outrageously sophisticated inerter suspension components, which run around $12,000 per corner (also found on Formula 1 cars), the massive carbon fiber intake runners which feed the hulking V10, and the wiring and electrical systems which link up the car's bespoke electronics systems (which comprise approximately $250,000 worth of the vehicle's total value).

These two trumpet-like bolt-ons are sonic restrictors (aka, restrictor plates), which are designed to take the engine's awe-inspiring potential (in the case of the stock Viper, 650 horsepower's worth) and cut it down to race regulations (in this case, a relatively measly 500 horsepower) by depriving the engine of valuable intake air. As a result, the angry Viper's engine output becomes on par with class competitors like the BMW Z4 GTE, Chevy Corvette C7.R, and Porsche 911 RSR.

Is it sad to neuter such a fire-spitting machine into a shadow of its former self, on the racetrack (of all places)? Ask any red-blooded speed fanatic, and they'll respond with a resounding, "Hell yes." But this time, the answer is actually a weird, ironic inversion of the typically technology embracing, go-fast phrase: "Because race car."